Anthony Rose’s Bar Begonia will open on Dupont

Anthony Rose’s sixth spot, Bar Begonia, will be located at 252 Dupont Street just steps away from his trio of Annex eateries. The strangely shaped building has been empty since 2005 when its former occupant, a bar called Nite-Caps, closed. “I feel like every restaurateur has taken a tour through it because it’s said ‘For Lease’ on it forever and ever and ever,” says Rose, who has already started working on getting the place in shape for a November opening.

Rose says Bar Begonia will be a Parisian-style cocktail bar—with a dose of Brooklyn for good measure, of course. “Parisian to me sometimes can be a little too refined, even the dirty places,” says Rose. “I find that Brooklyn has a lot of French influence to it, but it’s a little more country. And I lived in New York for about five years, so I definitely have a lot of that in me.” Although the building itself is on the small side, the real party will be in the back: the current parking lot is being converted into a grassy backyard oasis, complete with an outdoor grill (“à la Francis Mallman,” says Rose) and—in the spirit of reviving old-timey lawn games—the potential for tetherball or ga-ga courts.

5 thoughts on “Anthony Rose’s Bar Begonia will open on Dupont”

Gee, looking around Toronto you’d think the restaurant business is a race to open as many locations as quickly as possible, and has nothing to do with quality food/service. Playa Cabana is the worst offender; at least Anthony Rose’s spots are decent.